Deimos Predator
Chapter in combat]] The Deimos Pattern Predator Destructor, more simply known as the Deimos Predator, is one of the oldest variants of the standard Predator Destructor main battle tank used by the Adeptus Astartes of the 41st Millennium. The Deimos Predator is an ancient and revered design that dates back to the time of the Emperor of Mankind's Great Crusade, where it was used by the Space Marine Legions as they conquered the galaxy. There are as many variants of the Predator tank as there are of the Rhino chassis it is mounted upon. The Deimos Predator differs from other Predator variants in that its turret and sponson-mounts are elegantly curved to the point that they are almost circular and the tank makes use of more advanced internal systems and support for technologies now lost to the Imperium. Each and every Deimos Predator was Artificer-crafted by the finest machine-wrights of the great forge-complexes of Mars. The Deimos Predator Destructor and its variants are haven't been constructed on a large scale, or at all, since the Age of Apostasy for the Chapters of the Space Marines and the Mars Pattern Predator is now used almost exclusively by the Adeptus Astartes. However, these vehicles still survive in the Armoury of many Chapters, revered as both relics of the long-forgotten past and as symbols of a Chapter's ancient heritage. Armament and sponson-mounted Lascannons]] The Deimos Predator Destructor is the standard pattern of Deimos Predator, and is armed with a turret-mounted Autocannon known as a Predator Cannon and two sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters, one on each side. The sponson-mounted Heavy Bolters can be replaced with either Heavy Flamers or Lascannons, depending on if the mission calls for close-range fighting or an enemy fielding a large number of armoured vehicles. The vehicle can also remove its sponson weapons entirely, although this is rarely done. The Deimos Predator's sponson-mounted weaponry can be enclosed in a circular armoured shell, and unlike the equally enclosed sponson weapons of the Mark III Predator, the Deimos Predator's sponson weapons can turn a full 180 degrees, allowing the weapons to be protected from enemy fire and to fire upon enemies that are behind the tank. The Deimos Predator can also be outfitted with a Dozer Blade, Extra Armour Plating, a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, Improved Communications Equipment, a pintle-mounted Storm Bolter, a Searchlight, and Smoke Launchers. During the Great Crusade and subsequent Horus Heresy, when these vehicles were in service to the Space Marine Legions, they could also be equipped with an Auxiliary Drive System, Armoured Ceramite Plating, and even a Machine Spirit. Their pintle-mouted weaponry could include Combi-Bolters or other Combi-Weapons, a Heavy Flamer, a Heavy Bolter, or a Havoc Missile Launcher. Unit Composition *'1 Relic Deimos Predator Destructor (41st Millennium Only)' *'1-3 Legion Deimos Predator Destructors (31st Millennium Only)' Wargear A Relic Deimos Predator Destructor is armed and equipped with a: *'Predator Cannon' A Relic Deimos Predator Destructor may take one of the following sets of sponson-mounted weapons: *'Heavy Bolters' *'Lascannons' *'Heavy Flamers' A Relic Deimos Predator Destructor may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons: *'Storm Bolter' Relic Deimos Predator Destructors may also have vehicle equipment such as: *'Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher' Horus Heresy Wargear During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Deimos Predators of the Legiones Astartes featured different loadout options than those still found during the 41st Millennium. A standard Legion Deimos Predator Destructor is armed and equipped with: *'Predator Cannon' *'Searchlight' *'Smoke Launchers' A Legion Deimos Predator Destructor may take one of the following sets of sponson-mounted weapons: *'Heavy Bolters' *'Lascannons' *'Heavy Flamers' A Legion Deimos Predator Destructor may take one of the following pintle-mounted weapons: *'Twin-linked Bolters (Combi-Bolter)' *'Combi-Weapon' *'Heavy Bolter' *'Heavy Flamer' *'Multi-Melta' *'Havoc Missile Launcher' Legion Deimos Predator Destructors may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as: *'Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher' *'Dozer Blade' *'Auxiliary Drive System' *'Machine Spirit' *'Extra Armour Plating' *'Armoured Ceramite Plating' When in a squadron of three, one Legion Predator Destructor could be upgraded to the following: *'Squadron Command Tank' Variants The Deimos Predator has its own unique variants, which include: *'Deimos Predator Annihilator' - The Annihilator Pattern of the Predator tank is a relatively new addition to the Imperium of Man's armoury, and was first introduced in the 36th Millennium. While the Deimos Predator is no longer constructed for the Adeptus Astartes, any Chapter that still maintains one in their armouries can easily modify it to the Deimos Predator Annihilator variant. The Annihilator variant is the same as the standard Deimos Predator, with the exception of its turret-mounted Autocannon being replaced with a set of twin-linked Lascannons. The Annihilator variant of the standard Predator Destructor, and the Deimos Predator Destructor, was originally conceived as a field-modification by the Space Wolves Chapter, but after an intense investigation that lasted for over 200 standard years, it was found by the Adeptus Mechanicus that the replacement of the Autocannon with twin-linked Lascannons had been a feature found within the vehicle's original Standard Template Construct (STC) designs and thus the pattern became on officially recognised part of the Imperium's arsenal. It is unknown if this configuration was used during the Great Crusade by the Space Marine Legions as there is no evidence either supporting or denying its use. ]] *'Deimos Predator Executioner' - The Deimos Predator Executioner, also known as the Predator Executioner, is the rarest variant of the Deimos Predator Destructor that replaces the vehicle's standard Autocannon with the rare Executioner pattern Plasma Destroyer. This variant of the Deimos Predator Destructor was commonly used by the Space Marine Legions during the Great Crusade, but by the late 41st Millennium the Plasma Destroyer has become an extremely rare weapon that can only be built on the Forge World of Ryza, due to plasma technology being nearly lost to the Imperium. This variant of the Deimos Predator is able to to blast apart even the most powerful armour with contemptuous ease, yet as Ryza is the only source of advanced photo-plasmic cells that are needed to construct Plasma Weaponry, only a handful of these powerful tanks may ever make it into the hands of the Space Marine Chapters that need them. The Executioner variant can also be armed with a Heavy Conversion Beamer, this turns the Deimos Executioner variant into a powerful siege tank and long-range tank destroyer, but this firepower is gained at the cost of maneuverability and increased vulnerability to short-range attacks. It is not recorded in available records if the Executioner variant is exclusive to the Deimos Pattern Predator or if any other Predator pattern, such as the Mars Pattern Mark IVb, which is the most common Predator pattern used in the late 41st Millennium, is capable of utilising the Executioner variant. Chapter]] *'Deimos Predator Infernus' - The Deimos Predator Infernus, also known as the Predator Infernus, is an uncommon variant of the standard Deimos Predator that replaces the vehicle's turret-mounted Autocannon with a Flamestorm Cannon. This vehicle, which is able to provide an excellent amount of close-range firepower, has been mostly replaced by the larger Land Raider Redeemer in many Chapters, yet Chapters such as the Crimson Fists, Fire Lords and Subjugators still value its close-range firepower when combating such xenos hordes as the Orks, and in particular it is seeing a resurgence amongst those Chapters that are fighting the Tyranid menace. The Infernus variant dates back to the Great Crusade where it was fielded by the Space Marine Legions as a relatively common vehicle in support of the Legion's ground infantry. The Predator Infernus is armed with two sponson-mounted weapons, one on each side, and these can be Heavy Bolters or Heavy Flamers, which gives the vehicle even more firepower against closely grouped enemies, or the vehicle can be equipped with anti-armour Lascannons instead. The Infernus is also able to replace its turret-mounted Flamestorm Cannon with a Magna-Melta, a devastating weapon originally intended for void-war boarding actions. The Magna-Melta gives the Predator Infernus a potent capability for close-range anti-armour superiority. It is not recorded in available records if the Infernus variant is exclusive to the Deimos Pattern Predator or if any other Predator pattern, such as the Mars Pattern Mark IVb, which is the most common Predator pattern used in the late 41st Millennium, is capable of utilising the Infernus variant. Chaos Predator Battle Tank ]] As the Predator was used extensively by the Imperium's Space Marines since the age of the Great Crusade, it is therefore to be found within the ranks of the Traitor Legions and numerous Renegade Space Marine warbands. The Predator has been the armoured fist of the Traitors since the days of the Horus Heresy. As often re-built and modified as Chaos Predators are, there are numerous recorded incidences of them sporting additional secondary weapons, reinforced armour and rough-terrain modifications, and many are heavily adorned with trophies, blades, ramming spikes and further marked with the banners and fell iconography of the Chaos Gods. In some few cases, more extreme modifications and singular weapons fits have been reported, ranging from inbuilt sacrificial shrines to vehicles bedecked with a covering of still-twitching bodies somehow retaining some semblance of life. Others are equipped with command systems utilising technologies lost to the Imperium or long ago declared heretical. Those Predators found within the armouries of the Emperor's Space Marine Chapters are often clearly delineated into long established patterns such as the Destructor or Annihilator. Chaos Predators are far more individual however, each being a battle-scarred veteran of hundreds of campaigns. Each tank may have served many masters in its long and bloody history, claimed as the spoils of victory or taken in tribute from a defeated foe. With no Chapter cult or doctrine in place to prescribe or proscribe armament, livery or tactics, Predators in the service of Chaos Space Marine warbands are often as individual, idiosyncratic and as terrible in aspect as the champions of the Ruinous Powers themselves. Further to their long and bloody history, there are many accounts, both apocryphal and sealed under the veil of Inquisitorial authority, of Predator tanks operating under malefic influence, evidencing no crew, and surrounded by strange and unexplained phenomena. These hellish vehicles are said to act more in the manner of a living beast that hungers for the kill rather than any crewed machine of war, and appear able to shrug off damage more in the manner of a living being. Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications Also See *'Imperial Vehicles' Sources *''The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 35, 77, 94, 217 *''The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 28, 125, 129 *''The Horus Heresy: Legiones Astartes - Age of Darkness Army List'' pg. 63 *''Imperial Armour Volume Two, Second Edition - War Machines of the Adeptus Astartes'', pp. 24, 74-76 *''Imperial Armour Volume Twelve - The Fall of Orpheus'' *''Imperial Armour Volume Thirteen - War Machines of the Lost & The Damned'' by Andy Hoare with additional material by Alan Bligh & Neil Wylie, pp. 27-33 *''Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes'' (8th Edition), pg. 7 *''The Horus Heresy: Collected Visions'' (Background Book), p. 175 *[https://www.forgeworld.co.uk/en-NL/Deimos-Pattern-Predator Forge World Webstore - Deimos Pattern Predator] Gallery DeimosPredatorDestructor00.jpg|A Deimos Predator Destructor of the Death Guard Legion File:IW_Predator_Destructor.jpg|A Deimos Predator Destructor of the Iron Warriors Legion DeimosPredatorDestructor01.jpg|A Deimos Predator Destructor of the Sons of Horus Legion DeimosPredatorDestructor02.jpg|A Deimos Predator Destructor of the World Eaters Legion The Purge_Relic Predator.jpg|A Chaos Deimos Predator Destructor of the renegade Astartes warband known as 'The Purge'. DeimosPredatorDestructor0001.png|A Deimos Predator Destructor of the Night Lords Legion DeimosPredatorDestructor002.png|A Deimos Predator Destructor of the Word Bearers Legion DeimosPredatorDestructor001.png|A Deimos Predator Destructor moving across the battlefield DeimosPredator04.png|A Deimos Predator of the Emperor's Children Legion in combat during the Horus Heresy DeimosPredatorDestructor0002.png|An ancient pict-capture of a Deimos Predator Destructor of the Iron Warriors Legion during combat DeimosPredatorDestructor0000.png|An ancient pict-capture of a Deimos Predator Destructor of the Iron Hands Legion during combat DeimosPredatorDestructor00000.png|An ancient pict-capture of a Deimos Predator Destructor during combat Category:D Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Space Marine Legions Category:Chaos Space Marines Category:Chaos Vehicles Category:Imperial Tanks Category:Imperium Category:Imperial Vehicles Category:Space Marine Vehicles Category:Space Marines Category:Tanks Category:Vehicles